Metal-on-metal Hip Implants Plagued with High Failure Rates

The authors of a new scientific study are calling for a ban on the use of stemmed metal-on-metal hip implants, which have been used in many total hip replacement patients, worldwide.

This study, published March 12, 2012 in The Lancet, comes only days after the U.K. government’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency announced [...]

Scientific Evidence Lacking for Long-term Safety, Effectiveness of Knee Replacement Implants

There are hundreds of thousands of knee replacements performed each year in the U.S. alone, yet little is known about the long-term safety and effectiveness of the implants used for total knee replacements worldwide, according to a seminar published March 5, 2012 in The Lancet.

There are many types of knee replacement implants available [...]

High-Intensity Program Saves Seniors’ Lives after Hip Fracture

For the elderly, the risks of having to go into a nursing home and, even death, rise sharply the year following a hip fracture. Australian researchers report that a year-long regimen of high-intensity weight-lifting exercise, balance training and other targeted interventions might minimize these negative outcomes.

The researchers’ aim was to determine if treating [...]

Physical Therapist-led Walking Skills Program Improves Physical Function after Total Hip Replacement Surgery

Physical therapy—specifically, a program aimed at improving walking skills—helps patients regain walking distance and stair-climbing ability following total hip arthroplasty, also known as total joint replacement surgery.

Researchers in Norway found that the physical therapy-led program’s benefits on physical function continued at least a year following hip replacement surgery.

While hip replacement patients [...]